Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Context

The depiction of an emotional crisis is an unusual subject for
folk literature. However, in Trond Bjørnson experiments with
the representation of the protagonist’s psychological state within
the form of the traditional folk tale. To convey Trond’s mind-set,
Bjørnson uses motifs from Norwegian legends and folk tales.

Trond lives with his parents and their servant on a very
isolated farm, fourteen miles from the nearest settlement. Like
many of the boys in Bjørnson’s peasant tales, Trond is “rather
afraid” of Alf, his father (113). Alf often relates the story of
Blessom, a man who had been on business in Copenhagen, and was
returning home to Vaage, and who was conveyed through the air on
the sleigh of a “…

35806Småstykker: Trond3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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